ABB to supply chargers for electric-vehicle charging stations in the Netherlands

Dutch start-up Fastned has awarded the power tech firm the contract to provide fast chargers to over 200 stations nationwide, serving most brands of electric vehicles.

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Switzerland-based power tech firm ABB announced on Monday that it has been chosen by Fastned to supply chargers to its vast electric-vehicle charging network in the Netherlands, bringing electric-powered mobility to the mainstream.

Fastned, a Dutch start-up that first asked permission for the network from the government in 2011, has concessions to build 201 charging stations out of the 245 stations planned for the country’s 16.7 million inhabitants.

Each station, solar-roofed and located along highways, will be allotted with different multi-standards fast chargers from ABB, such as the 50-kilowatt (kW) Terra 52 and Terra 53 models. These chargers can power any major brand of electric vehicle from Europe, Asia and the United States in a maximum time of 30 minutes, or a minimum of 15 minutes.

The first batch of ABB Terra fast chargers will be delivered this September, while the stations will be built by 2015. This makes the Netherlands the most populated nation to have a countrywide EV-charging network.

The network, said ABB in a statement, will have stations placed 50 kilometres apart from each other at the most.

According to Bart Lubbers, one of the founders of Fastned, “This countrywide network of locations will lay the basis for the commercially viable development of e-mobility.”

Together with the promotion and use of clean energy, the stations will also have other advanced features through the chargers. Connected to the web, the ABB fast charger offers remote assistance, management and servicing, and smart software upgrades.

ABB designed the technology to support all fast-charging standards and protocols like CCS (or the Combined Charging System) and CHAdeMO (or Charge de Move). This, the firm said, is highly important in maintaining compatibility between chargers and constantly evolving cars. According to ABB, Fastned wants to maintain a reliable service as the industry grows. It wants the ability to easily upgrade its network as technology progresses.